| Anthony Flanagan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1972 Stockport, Cheshire, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
Anthony Flanagan (born 1972 in Stockport, Cheshire) is an English actor most widely known for his portrayal of policeman Tony in Channel 4's comedy-drama series Shameless.
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After leaving school, Flanagan worked as a joiner and a painter and a decorator. At 16 he went to London, taking on occasional odd jobs and for a time slept on the streets. Flanagan has described this as "a very bad period."[1] Flanagan decided to become an actor after seeing a friend of his sister perform at RADA.[2]
After studying acting at Oldham College, Flanagan's first professional job was in a lead role at the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) in the 2001/2 season, playing Pat Harford in Peter Whelan's play 'A Russian In The Woods' (Flanagan would later reflect on the experience of appearing on stage naked[3]). This led to a collaboration with writer and theatre critic Richard Edmonds on a one-man show on the life of Baudelaire entitled King of a Rainy Country.[4][5]
Notable work includes roles in Vincent, Cracker (where his roles as Kenny Archer in the 2006 TV film was almost universally praised despite mixed critical reaction to the comeback show itself[6]), Life on Mars, Foyle's War, All About George, Casualty, Holby City, The Bill, Spooks, Spooks: Code 9, Doctor Who, Survivors and Red Riding. He played his first major lead role in the short serial Instinct, broadcast in February 2007 and was due to appear in the West End in Glengarry Glen Ross in October 2007 but withdrew due to 'personal reasons'.[7][8]
Flanagan appeared in the BBC TV docudrama Heroes and Villains as Spartacus, first broadcasted in 2008. He breaks the character of 'virile Roman hero' and appears full of doubt, irascible and Shakespearean. The series was successful in Europe and USA, and was noted for the credibility of its historic sources. He took on the role of villain Dexter in ITV's Survivors (2009–2010); the character is killed in series 2 episode 3 (ITV later announced that the shooting of season 3 would be cancelled). In 2009 he played the dogged but doomed journalist Barry Gannon in Red Riding; set in 1974, it is the first film in the Red Riding Trilogy. Initially a Channel 4 series, the trilogy has been successful all over the world, and regularly featured on the European film festival circuit, winning many awards. Flanagan was scheduled to appear in the film 'Acts of Godfrey', which filmed in early 2010; however, he didn't appear due to theatre commitments. He briefly appears in Glorious 39 (2009), a UK production written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff.
2010 was the year of Flanagan's theatre comeback. The ex-RSC came to the Birmingham Rep Theatre for a new adaptation of Chekov's Cherry Orchard beside Josie Lawrence, where his performance was very well received.
In 2011, Flanagan will appear in the role of Steve in Life On The Line, a short film by Jamie Donaghue.